Job Description

We're looking for a Product Development Specialist to join our team. As our Product Development Specialist, you will collaborate with multiple departments, including our Creative and Sales teams, and learn what it takes to build a successful home textiles business.

You will love this role if you're passionate about home textile products, have an entrepreneurial mindset and want to work in a nimble and fast-paced environment. In exchange, you can expect to have many career development opportunities, be professionally challenged and be rewarded for every success!

You're excited for this role because you will...

• Help manage the Product Development process
  • Work cross-functionally with our Creative, Sales and Supply Chain teams to develop, source and deliver on-trend products that our customers will love
  • Manage our PD timeline - Create PD calendars and assure that team members adhere to the calendar that you've set
  • Track and review new samples and regularly update product development sheets
  • Work with our factories; communicate any corrections and QC issues needed to create the desired outcome
  • Manage spec sheets and tech packs and send to factories (in coordination with our Creative team)
  • Inspect all incoming production and sample shipments for quality assurance
  • Assure all developments arrive on-time for Final Line Review
  • Maintain Sample Room products
• Help sell your products
  • Communicate (through both presentations and meetings) with our sales and eComm teams to ensure that they have all necessary tools to sell your products into their respective channels
  • Coordinate with Marketing Department on all key product info, including photography, copy, samples, etc.
  • Travel domestically periodically with our sales team to learn about market trends, hear customer feedback and assist with key accounts (particularly when it comes to custom projects for select partners)
• Keep tabs on the competitive landscape - Frequent market comp shops to maintain up to date market knowledge of price points, key items, and trends.
• Assist with costing and supply chain
  • Request FOB pricing and lead times
  • Support team in identifying opportunities for improving our cost structure
• Vendor development - Develop deep understanding of vendor capabilities in order to improve vendor performance in terms of development process adherence, value engineering and sample quality
  • Help identify and vet new vendors and markets, which may require travel, both domestic and international (once travel is back!)

We're excited about you because you bring...

• The right experience
  • Bachelor's Degree in related field
  • 2 years of experience working in apparel/textiles (preferred, but not required)
  • Experience in product development for textiles (preferred, but not required)
• The right skills
  • Proficient with MS Excel and Word; experience with ERP systems (specifically SAP) a plus
  • Fluent in MS Office; willing to learn new technologies and tools to make you more efficient at the job
  • Excellent interpersonal and oral and written communication skills
  • Proficiency with Adobe suite (including Photoshop and Illustrator)
• The right traits to be successful
  • Most importantly, must love product development and want to "own" your products and see them through from ideation in your mind to adoration in our customers' hands
  • Appreciation for home goods with knowledge of current trends
  • Excellent written and verbal communication skills
  • Exceptional organizational and time-management skills; strong attention to detail and ability to multitask without losing focus
  • Eager to work in a fast-paced and dynamic environment
  • A motivated self-starter, with the ability to identify issues and resolve problems independently, and a desire to find opportunities to improve our processes
  • Excellent interpersonal skills, a high degree of reliability, commitment, tenacity, teamwork and creative energy to achieve success
  • Knowledge of Mandarin Chinese is a plus, but not a requirement